moving on, moving up highway 44

This is a picture of Tulsa, OK.  Isn't it beautiful?  Honestly, I haven't seen it like this yet.  When we went a couple of weekends ago, it was cold, not sunny and no leaves were on the trees.  People weren't out on the lake either, but I am sure that doesn't have to be said.

This is where we are moving in a few weeks.  Seth got a new job and he is moving us 100 miles north-eastish.  Which makes this the easiest move ever.  At least that is what I am hoping. :)

Edmond, OK has been good to us.  When we moved three and a half years ago, I never thought I would call Oklahoma home.  And now I do.  (I am whispering this part because my kids are still Texans to the core and Rhett, although excited about the move, was disappointed we weren't moving to Lubbock, home of Texas Tech University, his favorite university.)  Don't get me wrong, I love Texas...I just don't not love Oklahoma anymore.  And I have heard Tulsa is even better.  We are looking forward to it. Change is good.  It isn't always easy but it sometimes brings amazing things.

You may not see me much on the ole' blog between now and when we move.  I just wanted to tell you why. You never know though, I may feel like procrastinating and write.  This blog is a product of procrastination. And tell me if I mispelled procrastination.  For some reason, my blog no longer has spell check and I am too lazy to look it up. 

Back to cleaning...(see, I was putting off cleaning to blog!  I told you that is when I do my best blogging.)

i, apparently, can't handle the heat...

The Pineapple Upside Down Cake that I made didn't turn out quite like I had hoped. 

It was pretty good.  Just not pretty:

Yes, my cake totally broke my cake plate

In many pieces!

What happened? 

Well, the cake was baked in a cast-iron skillet, as per instructions.

I removed the cake from the skillet and placed it on a plate, four minutes after removing it from the oven, as per instructions.

15 minutes later, I heard a loud crack, looked over at the cake and found it in two levels.

That was not in the instructions.

Let this be a warning to you in case you decide to fix that particular recipe.

***
I want to take the time and tell my mother-in-law happy birthday today.  Have a wonderful day Sandy!

This week has been full of celebrations and here is one I haven't mentioned yet:  My friend Christy delivered a heatlhy baby girl on Monday!  Congratulations!  I am so happy for you!

a birthday, the derby and wishes

It's Seth's birthday today.  I made the boys get up earlier than usual to give him a present.  Noah was more grumpy than usual.  But Seth smiled. 

I'm thinking of making a pineapple upside down cake for him.  It doesn't have any frosting, but Seth's favorite cakes usually don't.  As long as there is ice cream, I am sure he'll be happy. 

Last night was the Pinewood Derby for cub scouts.  The boys' cars both came in 2nd place for their dens.  Yay. The Den Leaders' sons' cars came in first.  Is that fair?  I don't know.  What I do know is that Rhett was disappointed because his car came off the track once.  And if it weren't for the fact that only two kids in his den, including him, showed up, he probably wouldn't have gotten a trophy.  Is that fair for the dens that had 20 kids show up?  Probably not.  So I guess the unfairness all evens out in the end.

I wish I had pictures for you but I only took a couple with my phone. I wish it was sunny so I wouldn't feel so tired and sick of the cold.  I wish I could have gotten Seth something cooler for his birthday than work-out gear but I didn't.  And I wish pineapple upside down cake had frosting.

Mostly, I wish that my sweet husband has a wonderful day and a fantastic year.  That is more important than frosting. 

Happy Birthday Seth!  I love you!

my date with three perfect gentlemen

Saturday night, we took the boys to a steakhouse because we had a gift certificate.  It was pretty fancy.  I say this because my children were the only children there.  But they were so wonderfully polite!  We were so impressed.

When we first were seated, Rhett looked at all the silverware and folded cloth napkin (which we use all the time but ours are never folded nice and are also wrinkled because I don't iron napkins) and fancy water glass and just got so nervous.  He played with his forks and then played with his napkin.  I told him to relax and he put his hands to his face and said, "I'm sorry!  There is just so much pressure!"  He recovered enough to order a filet mignon and was, at first, disappointed by the size.  Too small he thought.  He ate the whole thing and then realized it was exactly the right size.  He was so happy.

Noah, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber.  He listened intently to the server as she told us the specials and he even nodded once and awhile as if to say, "Oh, yes, those sound wonderful."  Too bad he really doesn't like steak (too chewy) or seafood (too gross, except the kind that tastes like chicken) and the only chicken dish they had was supposed to be slathered with a mushroom sauce.  They offered to go next door to a neighboring restaraunt to get chicken strips, but we said no thank you.  He took the chicken sans the sauce and mostly ate the complimentary bread they brought out to the table.  But he didn't complain once. 

I think steakhouses are wasted on me because you could just give me pasta and I would be happy.  But I ordered the steak because I always hear my dad's voice in my head:  You ordered that when we are at a steakhouse?  (that being pasta or chicken or anything but steak).  So steak is what I had and it was good.  I had the bearnaise sauce with it which was just delicious in every way.

Seth also had a steak, but his was huge and he enjoyed every bite. He is a steak and potatoes man through and through.  I feel bad that I hardly fix meat for him.  And never potatoes.  But I don't make him watch the vampire shows on tv with me, so it balances out.  (Did you see that commercial last night?  Dodge Charger's Man's Last Stand was pretty funny).

It was a nice date. 

warning: random, mostly useless information ahead

So, I am sitting here in our lovely guest bedroom/office (Hee, I almost spelled out the word "slash" as I was thinking it in my head), freezing.  This room is cold to me.  Even my toes that are in my toasty warm Ugg boots, are cold.  That means my hands are rather cold too.  Hence, I am wearing a pair of gloves.

You know the kind- the cheap $1 pair at the store that supposedly fit any hand? I doubt that but that is not what this post is about.  It is about the things you can't do well while wearing gloves.  (You were warned).

• Type.  Do you know how hard it is to type with gloves on?  You should totally try it sometime.  No telling how long this post will take me to write.  I have to constantly go back and delete mistyped words.  It makes your fingers seem big.  But I have noticed the longer I type, the better it is getting. 
• Blow your nose.  Because, eww.
• Read a book.  It is nearly impossible to turn the pages with gloves on.
• Make a sandwich.  Not that I have ever tried, I am just thinking that it would be difficult.
• Wash dishes.  Your hands would get wet and then wearing gloves would prove pointless.  Unless you wear rubber gloves over your gloves. That almost seems silly.

There you have it.  In case you were wondering, I do have things to do today, but aren't you glad I took the time out to post this blog?  I hope I saved someone who was wearing a pair of $1 gloves that don't quite fit from wondering if they can blow their nose without taking their gloves off. Now they know they could do it, but they could not do it well.

:)

Have a great day!

groundhog predicts six more wintery weeks

Today is Tuesday.  This is the fourth day of school that has been called off due to icy conditions on the road.  4 snow days.  That is 6 days that we have been stuck in the house.  Sure, we could go out.  But that would just irritate me when I realize that the streets, aside from the neighborhood roads, are fine, just fine.  So here in our house we stay while trying not to go stir crazy. 

It has been nice.  We sleep in, we eat a late breakfast, we watch tv, play video games, Noah gets mad when I force him outside where he proceeds to have fun for 45 minutes with his brother, the boys talk about going into football card selling business (they don't want two of the same card!) where they talk about selling the cards for $1 a piece.  Maybe $2 for the good ones.  (Maybe I should have not given them my 1991 Joe Montana card yesterday.  Hmmm)

We have also read books and wrote thank you cards (long overdue), cleaned out some closets, stayed up late, watched the Winter X games (go Shaun White and Bobby Brown!), played vollyball with a small beach ball (the large one kept knocking things over), done some laundry (drying winter wear over and over), tried to get over our colds and planned some plans.

Six more weeks of winter. 

Here is a peek of what our day will be like: 

Rhett:  Ow, stop punching me!

Noah: Sorry.

Rhett:  That hurt!  You really have to stop doing that.  I have feelings you know.

Noah:  I already say sorry.

Rhett:  But you don't have to always punch me.

Noah: Okay! Sorry!

Sigh.  I wish the sun would shine.

love, affairs & roads less traveled

These past two weeks, I have been reading.  Winter is a great time to read.  When it is cold and windy outside, it is so nice to curl up in a chair with a book.  Of course, I could say that summer is a great time to read as well.  Laying by the pool with a book--nothing better.  Anyway, I have read all my library books, which is a shame because it is about to be really cold and snowy and now I have nothing to read.  (Krista, I guess I have stupid problems too. :) )

The first book I read was Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Famous and Obscure Writers.  I loved reading this.  Some memoirs were quite sad: Time heals all wounds? Not quite. and some were so funny: Should have learned to count.   And here is one of my favorites: We were each other's favorite person.  Aww.   This book inspired me to challenge myself and so I am going to try to do all my post titles in six words. 

Then I read Lucy by Ellen Feldman.  This was the book club selection.  I really liked this book.  I went into it without knowing that Franklin Roosevelt had affairs or that his affairs helped shape who Eleanor Roosevelt would become.  As the author writes in her note at the end of the book: 

If Eleanor Roosevelt had not known betrayal, she might have lived out her life as dutiful wife and mother rather than as a force for peace and social justice throughout the world.

She wrote this as a fictional story with historical facts and real people, which is facinating to me.  I go to my first book club meeting tonight and I am excited. 

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is described as "the searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Comrac McCarthy's masterpiece" in the front flap of the book.  And it was emotional.  So much so that I had to skip the middle of the book and just read the last quarter of the book.  Because it was almost too much to bear.  This book about a father and son's journey through a burned, empty America to the coast is terribly heart-wrenching, all throughout the book.  (I think, like I said, I couldn't read all of it. Well, I could have.  I just chose not too.)  His writing is beautiful though.  I loved how he describes the father and son's relationship: 

each the other's world entire.

Isn't that tender and beautiful? 

Last night, I finished Bel-Ami by Guy De Maupassant.  The sentence from the book that describes it perfectly is "

My dear woman, love doesn't last for ever.  Easy come, easy go.

Maupassant himself was one for easy come, easy go love affairs it seems and he sure knew how to write about a man that is moves ahead in life by seducing women who have money.  This book was written in 1885 and set in Paris. I enjoyed it because the main character was very likable.  Even though he was a master manipulator and seducer.  I even fell for his lies.  Only toward the end, did I think, "You know, I don't really think he loves any of these women!" 

can you whittle away your dreams?

Tuesday is Cub Scout night.  We went to Rhett's den meeting where he was supposed to work on his whittling badge. 

{Did you know that Whittling has its own webpage?  It says:  Welcome to the World of Whittling.  A hobby for some, an obsession for others, a joy for all.  This is important for later.}

Before we leave the house, I turn to Noah and tell him to bring something to do because he is not to be working with knives. 

Crying and why not?s ensue.

Five minutes later, we are in the car headed toward our first stop for the night.  (I really thought I would be making a stop at the ER tonight too because visions of sliced fingers danced in my head.  Seriously, all I could picture was my brother's hand bleeding when he sliced his hand open with a knife one Christmas morning when we were younger.)  Just so you know,  we did not go to the ER.  Whew.

The poor Den Leader spends 40 minutes talking about knife safety before handing each boy a bar of Ivory soap.  My heart beat fast as I watched Rhett carve a shape out of soap.  I relaxed when I saw that he was being careful.  Then a boy across from him sliced his finger.

Oy.

Just a slight cut.  Nothing a band-aid couldn't fix.

By then I was done.  I was done listening to my youngest son's sighs beside me.  I never did let him near those things.  I was done holding my breath, waiting for an accident that never really happened, thank God.  I was just done.

Noah then gets a bright idea:  Mom, I know!  I can get a bar of soap and carve something out with a butter knife!  See that isn't sharp, right?

In the car, Rhett tells me his bright idea.  Remember when I told you to remember the little blurb about whittling?  This is why:

Rhett:  Mom, I am really good at carving with a knife.  I think after I finish playing pro football, my job will be to carve things with my knife!

me: Uh, no it won't.

(Usually, I let my kids dream.  I let them think they can do whatever with their lives.  But not this.  Oh no.)

Rhett:  Why not?  I am good at it!

me:  Rhett, you can do that as a hobby.  Or when you retire when you are an old man.  This can't be your career.  (Remember, it says hobby.  Even obsession.  But not career!)

Rhett:  Well, I think I can do whatever I want.

Noah:  I want to be an artist.  But I am afraid that after my football career, I'll be too buff.  I don't see many buff artists.

They said more but after that comment, I was laughing too hard.  To myself.  I can't crush all their dreams in one night after all.

PS-I hope I didn't offend anyone saying whittling is not a career.  I am sure people do this as their careers and they are quite good at it.  :)

krista's birthday

Happy Birthday sis!  I hope today you have whatever you want for lunch or dinner (or both), have a piece of yummy cake, and get a surprise or two. 

More importantly, I hope you have a wonderful year.  Full of happiness.

We all love you!

thanks to all for playing along

I loved all the discussion on the six-word memoirs.  It is funny, Michelle mentioned she couldn't stop thinking about it (in six words mind you!) and I have to say I agree.  All throughout the day, I would try to think of six words for my life:

I'll even iron for my husband.

Chocolate is good for the soul.

Mom-at-home; best job ever.

Laundry is the bane of life.


Thanks for sharing all of yours.  I loved them all-especially Mom is the destroyer of fun.  That makes me laugh everytime I think of it.  If you think of more, feel free to share them.  I enjoy reading them!

Here is something along those same lines:  New Year's Resolutions.  Not mine and I am not asking you to share yours.  Actually, I am sharing one of Rhett's.  He had to write some at school and he was asked, "If you could make one New Year's resolution for our country or the world, what would it be?"

His answer:

To end Gossip and make peace to the world.

Edited to six words, his would be:

Ending gossip would bring world peace.

"Wow" is all I can say.


I can't leave Noah out.  He had to write sentences the other day and my favorite was one that had six words:

Some girls think I am cute.

:)

Laughter really is the best medicine.

simply put

I am sure my literary friends and family have heard of the bet between Ernest Heminway and his friend. The author claimed he could write a short story in six words and he did: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Well, did you know that Smith Magazine has six-word memoirs? There are books that have been published with celebrities and unknowns' six-word memoirs. I actually have never heard of this until yesterday but do remember the poignant short story of Heminway's.

Isn't it a great concept? Your life in six words. Here is a video with some catchy music, telling you more about it. The newest book is It All Changed in an Instant and after watching this, I immediately reserved a copy at the library.



So, could you do it? Tell your life story in six words? It is harder than it seems.  !  Hey, that is a good one:  It is harder than it seems.  I like that.  Or maybe:  Find the beauty in all things.

Those are pretty generic though.  Almost like a fortune cookie.  Back to the blank page for me...

Can you come up with your own six-word memoir?  If so, please share!  I would love to read it.  If I can come up with mine, I'll share it too.

2010-year of the movies

that I want to see anyway.  There are so many movies coming out this year that I am excited about watching. 

The Percy Jackson movie is coming in February and Rhett can hardly wait.  I, too, read the books and have to say that I am way excited for this one too.  This book series was so good that Rhett had trouble finding a book afterward to read that he liked.  (I know exactly how he feels.  Percy is to Rhett as Harry is to me).

If you don't know the story, Percy Jackson is the son of god, Poseidon and has to fight mythical creatures and gods of all kinds in all sorts of adventures. 

Alice in Wonderland, coming March 5, I admit, looks a little creepy (and obviously because it is from Tim Burton) but I think that is part of the charm.  Isn't the story supposed to be a little creepy?  Isn't it supposed to be ... mad? 

Johnny Depp is always at his best when he plays strange characters.

 The third movie in the Twilight Saga is Eclipse and since this is my favorite book of the series, I am most looking forward to the movie version. 

Most of you know already my love for these books, so I won't go on and on.  But I will say that I may wait a week or two after it comes out so maybe the teenage fans will thin out.  Being in the theater with a bunch of hormonal teenage girls, squealing with delight everytime Jacob was on screen without a shirt was almost too much for me.  :)

So the new Harry Potter movie, Part 1 of the final book, doesn't come to theaters until November so there isn't even a movie poster for it yet. I am sure these two films will be the best yet.  I have to hope that it is better than the last one.














There are other movies too:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (a favorite book series of my kids, this film will sure be the on our list to see in April)
• Valentine's Day (I may have to go see this with girlfriends, but I hoping this movie will be a lot like Love Actually, one of my favorite romance films of all time)
• Date Night  (I actually know nothing about this movie except that it has Steve Carell and Tina Fey but enough said, right?)
• Avatar (I keep changing my mind, but this movie is still going strong.  Are all those people wrong?)
• The Road (I don't know if I really want to see this because I like the lighter fare, but I figure that I need to write in at least one film that Seth might see with me.  And I think he would like this apocalyptic film with Viggo Mortenson.  Ahh, Viggo, I loved you in Lord of the Rings.  For that, I would give any movie with you a chance.)

And one movie I did see over the weekend:

What an amazing movie.  Sandra Bullock should win an oscar for this one.  The story was beautiful.  I took Rhett with me to watch this one and you should have seen him.  He absolutely loved it.  He said it was the best movie he has ever seen.  He sat at the edge of his seat for most of the movie. 

I think I have found my movie soul-mate.

Any movies that you want to see this year that are not on my list?

just finished reading

Pride and Prejudice
Ok, no.  I started that.  And then I skipped to the end.  I don't know.  Classics are hard to read.  Especially when you have been reading "young adult" novels, like:

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

which is what I really just finished reading.

I wanted to read this because it was inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair."  Simon & Garfunkel sang this song but it is an old ballad with much history apparently. I like the tune of the song and any book that is inspired by a song sounds interesting to me, so there you go.

It was a fast read, much faster than Pride & Prejudice will ever be.  I liked the idea of the story so much.  Some elements of the story were too rushed but I guess that isn't fair for me to say since I like fast reads and then say it was too rushed.  But all in all, a good story.

It has won many awards like "Best for Teens" and my favorite: "Best Novel for Young Adults That Adults Would Love If They Knew About It."  (from Publishers Weekly "Cuffie" awards).  That made me feel better that I was reading a teen novel.

Will I finish P&P?  I'll try but now I know why they make people read books like that in high school and college.  Because I don't have to write a paper about a certain theme or take a test about it later, I feel like I don't have to finish the book at all.  I don't have the will.

The next book will be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  This one will be interesting because I actually did read it in high school and wrote a paper about it.  And I really did like it.  Plus, I am so loving the fantasy themes and monster themes right now.  I hope that I will like it as much and not be annoyed by all of the footnotes at the bottom of the pages, explaining what the author meant.  That is what happened with P&P.  Did you know that book is almost 200 years old?  Wow.  Sadly, that fact still doesn't make me want to finish it.

Oh and I also joined a bookclub that my neighborhood started.  I had to order that book so I am waiting for it to come in the mail.  It is called Lucy by Ellen Feldman.  I think it is about FDR and his mistress, Lucy.  I did not know he had a mistress so I have already learned something.  I'll let you know how that book goes.

And I know that I am no book reviewer. But I just wrote a post for each day this week and that hasn't happened in a long time.  I thought I needed to write one for today and so I wrote about the books I am reading, not reading and yet to read. 

I also know that I sound, oh what is the word?... well, like I am not trying very hard to read what could be a wonderful book.  I have had this problem before.  I tried reading another Jane Austen book and just couldn't get past the words to see the story, do you know what I mean? Anyway...

Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

brrrr

I am about to tell you something that hardly anyone knows about me. I may embarrass myself completely, but here it goes:

If I had to do college over again, I think I would want to major in meteorology or something that has to do with weather.  I took a class my freshman year in Atmospheric Science and loved it so much.  But because I really didn't know how to follow that path (and let's face it-I really didn't make much of an effort to find that path to follow), I didn't go any further. 

But ever since then, I love the subject of weather.  When there is a big storm coming and all the local stations talk about the approaching storm instead of regular programming, I usually don't even mind. 

So this winter, that has been breaking all sorts of records, is really interesting to me.  I mean, look at this map (courtesy of weather.com):

Everything in our continental United States (save the south tip of Texas) is in a freeze!  And the records this cold winter is breaking!

• International Falls, Minnesota: Saturday and Sunday temps were 37 degrees below zero, breaking records from 1979.
• Sioux Falls, South Dakota:  Breaking a record set in 1974, it was 30 degrees below zero Saturday.
• Burlington, Vermont: A record-breaking snowfall blanketed this town with nearly 32 inches of snow.  They haven't seen that much snow in 120 years.
• Oklahoma City, OK:  Our White Christmas broke a record set in 1924, with over 13 inches of snow falling in a 24 hour period.

And I am sure there are many, many more.

So now you know, if I ask you about the weather, you know I am genuinely interested in the weather, not just making small talk.  :)

Stay warm today.  Our schools were cancelled.  How about yours?

what to do with kids' art

Christy asked a good question yesterday in my comments.  What do we do with all the precious artwork our children make?  Do we secretly throw it away a few days later when they have forgotten about it? (Guilty).  Do we put it into an ever-growing pile of precious artwork we can't bear to throw out? (Been there).  Do we make the kids pick their favorites to save and the rest we throw away? (Done that-although I have to say that wasn't the best idea.  Rhett and Noah thought everything was their favorite).

Truth is, you have to throw it away somehow and sometime or you will be overrun with turkey craft projects and coloring pages.  But I finally have come up with something that the boys and I can live with. 

First, the artwork is displayed throughout the house.

I made a clothesline in their hallway that holds their newest art and wonderful stories:

This makes it easy to change it out and adds color to an otherwise boring hallway.

Then, a few of their favorites are displayed in frames throughout the house.  This one is in their bathroom on the counter.  One of Rhett's hangs on the wall.  These frames are cheap and easy to change once they tire of their picture.

The ones I like the best are placed on black foam board and displayed in the nook above the tv cabinet. I found the foamboard at Hobby Lobby and there is always a chance it will be on sale because it is Hobby Lobby.  I just gluesticked the picture onto the board and it makes it stand out more.

These are the pictures I can't imagine ever throwing away.  They are too beautiful.

Second, I take pictures of the rest.

I know that sounds silly, but actually it works for me.  After I change out the clothesline, I take pictures of the ones I just took down.  Then I throw (or recycle) the old art away because I still have a picture of it.  Someday, I imagine I'll want to do somesort of "coffee table" book or album or their art.  I may have to do several but I doubt they will always bring this many pictures home.  But right now, the pictures sit on my computer.  Yes, I need to save them on a cd.  As I do all my pictures. 

Anyway, that option erases all the guilt I have for throwing away anything of theirs.  If they complain, I say, "I've got a picture of it!"  And my house is less cluttered. 

I apologize if I went on and on.  But I am glad you asked, Christy.  And I hope I gave you some ideas. 

By the way, thanks for your comments about my art project.  I am glad everyone liked it!  I think I want to do that for all my mementos for New York.  That may take awhile to think up though. 

Have a great day!

memories made into art

Yesterday, while the boys went back to school...
I was wondering what to do with all of our ticket stubs and memorabilia from Washington D.C., so I was playing around and came up with this:

I made a picture of the Washington Monument out of an area map (Rhett:  Is the Washington Monument really crooked?) and then made the clouds out of the ticket stubs.  I also added the business card of Noah's dentist that we had to find on the spur of the moment. :)  Good times, now on our wall for all to see.

new year, new things

It is cold this morning.  It will be cold all week.  This is going to be a long winter, I can tell. 

That is okay, I have many things I want to do inside.  Many projects, many want-to-dos.

I have started reading Pride and Prejudice.  It is going to be slow going.  But I am determined.

I have started a new journal.  Lots of empty pages to be filled.  Hoping it will be filled by year's end.

I have a lot of work-out dvds to choose from.  I hope to start playing those and actually doing what they are instructing me to do.  Ha. ha.

I have pillows that need to be recovered and walls that need repainted.  Chairs that need to be a different color and papers that need to be organized.

It seems like I have lots to do.  Better get started...

looking back part 2

Continuing the recap...
July:

I absolutely loved Washington D.C. and I would go back anytime.  It had so much history, so many beautiful things to see, so much to do and we also got to see my sister, Krista and her family, so that was an added bonus.  The weather was just perfect when we went in the middle of July which was good, because we walked and rode the subway everywhere. It was here I rediscovered my brain, which sounds funny but it is true.  There is so much I want to learn about what happened here, especially during the Civil War.  I have many books that I have just started to get through, thanks to my dad, the history buff.

August:

The boys were on the swim team and it was actually so much fun to watch.  Well, the last meet was way too long but the races were fun.  I never got to do anything like this when I was a child (living in a small town had a few disadvantages) so it is cool to see my kids swimming so well. 

September:

I turned 32 this month.  And Seth sent me flowers. Love him!

October and November:

These two months I am going to lump together.  They weren't the best months for us.  We were struck with the flu and for two to three weeks, we were stuck in the house.  It was also when I found out two of my good friends were moving away and taking their children, my kid's friends, with them.  We were all down in the dumps.  I think this picture of Noah says it all.

I do have to mention that we went to Longview for Thanksgiving to see Seth's brother and his family and that was fun.  Especially the night of Thankgiving when some of us went to the midnight Toys R Us sale.  What were we thinking?  I don't know, especially now, because what we waiting 2 and a half hours in line for to get, will ultimately be returned because Rhett changed his mind on what he wanted.  But we will always have IHOP.  Good times.

I do also have to mention that I have been actively green this year, at least when it comes to trying to get our school to be a little more green.  I think the magazine drive really helped get more people to recycle paper at least.  I am happy to say that part of my goal was realized. 

December:

Mile of Magazines! Happy Birthday!  Happy Birthday! Water slides! Snow sledding!  Hellos! Good-byes! Merry Christmas! We have had it all this month! It has been busy but good.  My favorite part was seeing my family.  The White Christmas was nice although a blizzard was a bit much I thought.  :)

It has been quite a year.  I don't think I will choose a word for the next year.  I think I just want to see what this next year holds.  All the surprises, all the changes that may come, all the good and even the not so good.  I wish for health for us and all our loved ones, happiness and awesome adventures. 

Happy New Year everyone!

looking back

First:  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  We love you!

Second: The first of 2009 I wrote about wanting to rediscover passions, creativity, relationships and my brain.  I wonder how I fared?  Let's look back on this year and I will also point out the highlights.

January:

The first of this year, we celebrated the New Year with my sisters, brother and their kids and our parents. I really love the first day of the year because you know that you have a whole new year ahead of you, full of promise and change.  This picture reminds me of that.  It also reminds me that Rhett, Mallory and Jana were sick that vacation and Rhett and Mallory had stomach issues all through January, but I guess that is life.  Here is hoping this January is better for all. 

February:

It snowed one of the only times that winter in early February and it was enough to miss school for a couple of days, although none of the parents could understand why.  :)  I picked this picture because we went sledding with one of my good friends, Cathy and her children.  Cathy and I became very good friends over the course of the almost three years that she lived here and it was she that made me realize that friends don't have to come in one kind of package.  There are different kinds of friends and she was my "daily talk about nothing but also everything, make me laugh and have fun and just be there" kind of friend.  I miss her dearly since she moved, but when she calls or I email her, it is like nothing has changed.  We still talk like we live right down the street from each other and I love that.

March:

My mom came down in March when Rhett had his hand surgery. Moms are great like that.  No matter how old you get, you still need them.  Rhett was so brave during his surgery and it was the last of the month when he had it, meaning we fretted all month over it.  I think all of us did. No matter what I do with my life, I am a mom first and this situation cemented that for me.  It was hard to do much else or concentrate on much when your child is hurt or has fears and worries.  His fingers are doing quite well now by the way.

April:

This month, I took the boys to meet a children's book author. Tedd Arnold was pretty cool and I love that we experienced that.  My boys love to read and I hope this is something they will always remember.  Just seeing Mr. Arnold draw pictures on the fly (He is the author of Fly Guy, you know) was amazing and made me want to do that.  Not that I did.  Of all things I wanted to "rediscover," creativity ranked low on the list this year.  I did not do much about that this year.  I wanted to but something always came up, ect.  I did do a few things, like make costumes and sew baby presents and helped the boys with their craft projects, but I wanted to do so much more.  I don't know why I didn't.

May:

Noah graduated kindergarten in May.  We did mostly school stuff in May and I was so glad it was summer vacation.  The end of May we went to Friona to celebrate a huge milestone:

65 years is how long my grandparents have been married.  I hope in 54 years, my great-grandchidren are sitting on Seth's and my laps as we celebrate our 65th.  :)  That is a long time, isn't it Seth? One of the things I wanted to rediscover was reasons I liked my husband.  And I did.  This year has been so much fun with him.  We had our ups and downs like all couples do, but I remember mostly the fun I had with Seth.  The effort he made to spend time with us.  The times he made me laugh when I needed it most.  The way he is always there for me and makes me feel special.  I am very lucky.

Very lucky indeed. (This picture is from one of our friend's birthday celebration.  Our friends, Erin and Andy, really helped Seth and I come out of our shells.  They introduced us to people that we call good friends today.  They were the people that we spent all our weekends together.  This year was a wonderful year for new friendships and deepening existing ones.)

June:

Can you believe the only pictures I took in June were pictures of my garden?  But I guess that is okay because I really stepped up and with my family's help, we created a wonderful butterfly garden.  That the bees really, really enjoyed!  We did see some butterflies in the fall but mostly it was the bees.  But I was happy.  I hope next year it is even bigger and better.  Rediscover my passion for the environment?  Check.

Because this has turned into such a long post, I will finish up tomorrow.  See you then.

a random post for the end of the year

I re-read the last Harry Potter book a few days ago.  By this point, I don't read the entire thing...I like to skip the parts I don't really care too much about.  Anyway, I read it over again because I watched the newest Harry Potter movie on dvd which is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  It left me with many questions.  This post is probably only for those who have read the books and/or watched the movies, so I apologize to anyone else. But in case you ever want to read them and still want to read my post (because you are that loyal), then I won't give too much away.

1. In the book, a seeing mirror was given to Harry Potter by his godfather.  Harry broke it when Sirius died but kept the shards.  The mirror comes back in a major way (to me, at least) in the final book.  BUT, they left the mirror out of the movies completely.  How are they going to work that out?
2. Tonks and Remus fall in love and eventually get married in the books.  Again, they left their relationship out of the latest movie.  Are they going to ignore it or find a way to put it in? 
3. Bill, Ron's brother, was not in the Half-Blood Prince movie at all, although something life-changing happened to him in the book.  And he is a part of an important plot point in the last book.  Why did they leave that part out in the movie?  And how are they going to explain his changed appearance in the final movie, if they are at all?
4. The more I watched the Half-Blood Prince, the more disappointed I was in it.  They essentially made it to be a teenagers have hormones movie.  They cut out a huge action sequence (the fight at Hogwarts and the end)  and added something I didn't understand (the fire at the Weasley's house).  Ok, this isn't a question, just a complaint. 

For those who have followed Harry, what do you think?  Am I being too critical?  Are there any questions you want answered?  Any major holes you see?  And for those who don't follow Harry, check back tomorrow and I'll have some pictures.  Not of Harry Potter. 

a week later...

Well, it has been a busy week but I wanted to show you the pics of Noah's birthday.  He turned 7 last Saturday and was so excited.  We spent it doing what he wanted for the most part, but we were also trying to get ready for our family trip to the Greatwolf Lodge.  We met my whole family there the next day.  It was great fun!  I didn't get a lot of pictures there because we were so busy doing stuff! 

We told Noah his big gift was a bike that he could pick out himself.  He loved that idea and now owns a green bike.  His next favorite gift was a Webkinz gecko and I wish I had a picture of his face, but my camera battery died.  He loves it though!

****

Oh and did you hear? We had a White Christmas of epic proportions! Ha! Ha!  At least that is what the newscasters would descibe it:  The Great Christmas Eve Blizzard of 2009!  We got 14 inches of snow which means that Rhett and Seth could build a huge snowman!  Seth tells me I better be careful for what I wish for.  Hee hee. White Christmas indeed.

Look how tall he is!  I'll let you guess what the eyes and nose are.  That was my idea and pretty clever if you ask me. :)

****

And here is one last picture.  This is my whole family at the Gaylord Hotel, which is right across from the Greatwolf Lodge.  We spent an hour or so there just looking around, taking pictures of us. Really, that is what we did.  We actually went there to see the Ice sculptures but didn't realize we needed reservations for 15 people to get in to see it.  Don't know why that didn't occur to us. :)

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  And have a wonderful Happy New Year!

it's that time of year

*when I get a sore throat.  I thought it was just a cold. Now, I am thinking otherwise.  I may head to the clinic to get checked out and get antibiotics before it is too late. 

*when we are ready for a break.  Last day of school for awhile.  Boys are excited.  Noah is especially excited because tomorrow is his birthday.  We are taking him to BJ's, his favorite restaurant. 

*when I should have all my Christmas shopping done, but I don't.  I didn't even have that many people to buy for.  And I haven't even mailed my Christmas Cards yet.  They have been ready for two weeks.  Just haven't gotten the stamps at the post office.  Maybe I'll do that after the clinic.

*when I get to see my family.  My sisters! My brother!  Their sweet kids!  My parents! So happy about that!

I'll post tomorrow because my baby turns 7.  Which means he is not a baby anymore.  But he will always be my baby.  I'll also wish you a Merry Christmas then too.  So come back and see because I'll have pictures! 

Nine

No, I am not talking about the new movie, Nine, that has been nominated for some Golden Globes...

I'm talking about Rhett who turned 9 today!!!  We all woke up early (for us, not for Seth) so he could open his presents.  I don't know how we got started opening presents right when they wake up, but I think it is fun.  And who likes to wait?  Not me.

Rhett was totally excited about his gifts.  First, he opened the gift from Uncle Scott, Aunt Melissa and Matt and Sara.  If you can see, he was pretty happy.  First he was happy that it was an Underarmor shirt.  Then he was even more excited because it had Texas Tech on it.  Good job fam!

This is after he opened his Madden 09 DS game.  He didn't like this one at all. ;)  Actually, even though he looks like he is about to throw it down, he really was just whooping.  Woo!

And in a big box, he received many things Texas Tech.  He wanted his room to be decorated in Texas Tech things, so I think we got him started with a blanket, several signs and a lightswitch.  Who knew I would have such a Texas Tech fan? 

Rhett has his first performance as Mr. Duffy today in his play and is extremely nervous.  I am thinking of bringing Tums just in case.  But he will do fine.  And I made Chocolate Crinkles for his birthday treat and a cookie cake for tonight.  We are set to celebrate!

Have a great day!

today feels like a Monday

Yesterday was a nice day.  Today, ugg.  (and I am not talking about the boots)

• This is the fourth time I have been up to the school to help decorate the stage for the 3rd grade musical and we are still not done. 
• My wonderful craft idea for Rhett's 3rd grade party (writing letters to servicemen) is now a no-go. But does anyone tell the homeroom mom (that is me)?  No.  So I have to come up with something else in 3 days.
• I have to go to Wal-mart.  Enough said.
• I totally made the wrong copies for Noah's teacher and I made a lot of them.  I wasted her paper and the number of copies she has.  I feel so bad.
• Noah and Rhett did not put their bowls in the sink this morning.

So, let me think about yesterday again:

• Rhett and Noah got to pick out their birthday gifts from Grandmom (she sent a gift card) and they had so much fun playing their new DS games.
• My friend from far away called yesterday to be a good friend to me.  Miss you Cathy!
• Seth's Christmas present from me came in the mail yesterday and I totally gave it to him already.  I just got to excited.  You want to know what I got him, don't you?

Saucony Running Shoes!

                  He likes them but needs to break them in a bit.  I think they are totally going to help his feet.  His poor no-arches feet.  :)

Here is hoping your Tuesday didn't feel like a Monday.  Or it was like my Monday, yesterday, then I hope it was like that.  Are you confused?  Because I am.

little gifts to me

Today is only Monday and I am noticing little gifts all around.

• My two wonderful boys put their cereal bowls in the sink when they were done without even being asked to do so. 
• Chai Tea Latte:  A little piece of heaven in a cup
• Bath and Body Works socks:  A little piece of heaven on your feet.  They are infused with shea butter.  So soft and warm.
• Little baby girl:  As I write this, one-handed I might add, I am babysitting my friend's one month old daughter and she is the sweetest!

Hope your Monday is going well!

this week

For some reason, this week hasn't found me in the Christmas spirit.  Or maybe it has.  Because doesn't everyone get grumpy and stressed out before Christmas?  Ha. So maybe I haven't been in the right spirit of Christmas.

This week, I have been short on temper and time.  This week, I don't seem very happy (in the words of my dear oldest son).  This week, I have grumbled and complained and cried and fretted.

This morning, I have decided that the reason for all of this is because I have finally gotten fed up.  Somehow, this past year, I have lost my faith and my optimism.  My inner joy if you call it.  And I don't like it one bit.

I want those things back. I am going to find them. Somewhere, somehow, I will find those things again.

Have you ever lost your faith?  If you are asking "faith in what?", well, I say to you, (in the nicest way possible and very gently) "It doesn't matter in what."  Could be in one thing, could be in all things.  Could be in small things, could be in big things.  Could be you aren't sure.  Which is where I am.

I think saying it out loud is the first step to findig those things again.  At least, I hope so.

impossibly true

Last night, Rhett asked Dad a question. 

Rhett:  Dad, I have a question.
Seth: Okay.
Rhett:  What is a seven letter word that starts with a P and means "impossible, but true"?
Seth: Umm, I don't know.
Rhett:  You don't know?
Seth:  No.  Why do you need to know?
Rhett: It is for enrichment.  Our teacher tells us a story and then asks us a question about it.  Sometimes the word is in the story but sometimes it is not.
...
Rhett:  So you really don't know what the answer is?
Seth: No son, I really don't.   Maybe you should tell me the story.
Rhett:  Well, the story is about a bird named Paradox. This guy sees this bird that looks like it is filled with water and...
Seth:  Wait, wait, wait.  What is the bird's name?
Rhett:  Paradox.
Seth:  Do you know what paradox means?
Rhett:  No.

Seth gets a dictionary and looks it up.  He reads it to him:  A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. 

Seth:  Don't you think that sounds like your answer?
Rhett: Wait, paradox has 7 letters?!?

yie! yie! yie! yie! yie!*

*

So glad it is Friday!  Long week.  So much to do, especially clean the house.  That is why I am blogging.  Don't want to begin that chore.

Wednesday, Noah had to do his monthly family project.  The "family" is supposed to do it together, but Noah really dislikes for anyone but me to do anything for him so usually it is a "Noah" project, with a little help from mom.  Rhett is doing a project of his own, so he won't be left out. 

Now, Rhett's project, with a little help from Mom, is hanging on our chandelier.  The snowflakes look neat when the sunlight is shining through.  So sparkly.

{Speaking of sun, well, weather, it is frigid today!  Early this morning, I stood outside with two other dynamo moms freezing our tails off just to collect magazines.  We love the earth so much! :) }

This is what I did yesterday:

Rhett and the 3rd Grade are doing a Christmas Music Program and I said I would help with costumes.  I made 6 soldier costumes yesterday.  It took all afternoon and evening.  The boys were basically on there own from the time they came home from school until about 8:30.  Thank God for tortillas and cheese.  Anyway, I did make it up to them by playing Beatles Rock Band with them.  I even let them stay up past bedtime to do it. 

Oh, and Rhett is the lead.  Yipee!  I am so excited for him. He is playing a janitor who doesn't like Christmas.  They are doing the play 3 times, once on his birthday, so he is so excited.  And nervous. And happy he doesn't have to sing the songs.

One last picture:

Because it is so cold, Scout has been inside at night.  (Brinkley is in the garage).  Scout decided to try out Rhett's "fossil" of a shell that he made with clay a couple of years ago.  I guess she thought it was a cookie, I don't know.  She must have liked it because this morning, it was in her mouth again! 

I know what you are thinking:  I really must not want to clean house. 

You would be correct.

Have a great weekend! And stay warm! 

*That is what Noah yells while he and Rhett are playing football in the house. Don't worry, it is not a big football. Actually, I don't know exactly what they play. All I know is that Noah gets the ball and then yells that over and over. The first picture made me think of this story. Noah looks like he is yelling that. Probably is.

what is old becomes new again

You might not have noticed in yesterday's picture but my coffee table has had a makeover.  You see, above, the green stain toward the left of the picture?  That is the sprite that someone didn't wipe off the table.  But if you look closely, you will notice that the table wasn't in the greatest shape of its life either.  (This was one of our first big furniture purchases-the coffee table and the two matching sofa tables).  So, I had a wild hair one day the week before Thanksgiving and decided to do this:

It is now red!  I may need to darken it up because this red (paint that I used in the kitchen) is almost too bright compared to the other reds in the family room, but the concept is great.  It adds a punch of color to a very brown room:

And it definitely looks better than the before picture. 

Have a great day!